White House Readies Major Health Law Push
The strategy will feature the president, as well as first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, appearing in key states over the next six months to encourage people to enroll in new coverage options. Politico also looks at how former President Bill Clinton will be part of the effort to sell the American public on the overhaul.
Politico: President Gearing Up For Major New Obamacare Push
Three years after signing Obamacare into law, President Barack Obama finally looks eager to talk about it. The White House is mapping out a strategy to deploy the president, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden in what will be their most coordinated effort yet to sell Obamacare, senior administration officials said (Budoff Brown, 8/30).
Politico: The Obama-Clinton Health Care Bond
Bill Clinton will attempt again next week to do for Obamacare what has long eluded its namesake: Cut through the political noise and change the perception of a law much of the public doesn’t like or understand. His speech at Clinton’s presidential library in Arkansas Wednesday is a continuation of the relationship that benefited the former and current president in the 2012 campaign. It’s a role Clinton has played before on behalf of the Affordable Care Act, which is rooted in the failed effort by he and his wife, Hillary Clinton, to pass comprehensive health care reform two decades ago (Haberman and Millman, 8/30).
Meanwhile, labor unions appear to be making progress in getting the administration to address their health law concerns -
The Wall Street Journal: Labor Official Sees Progress On Health-Law Concerns
Unions are making some progress in getting the Obama administration to address their concerns about the new health law, and Labor Secretary Tom Perez is playing a central role, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Thursday. "We've been working with the administration to find solutions to what I think are inadvertent holes in the act. I'm hopeful that we'll get something done in the very near future," Mr. Trumka said at a breakfast with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor (Trottman, 8/29).
The Fiscal Times: Why Organized Labor Is Organizing Against Obamacare
But Obama is also getting blasted these days from an unexpected quarter: Major labor groups instrumental in helping the president win a critical second term are charging that Obamacare is undercutting existing union-sponsored health insurance programs and even encouraging employers to cut workers’ hours. This is the latest bizarre wrinkle in the unfolding political drama over Obama’s signature program for extending health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured Americans (Pianin, 8/30).
